“First of all, I don’t like to speak about players on other teams, it shows a lack of respect,” said Conte.

“About this issue I think it’s ridiculous what I read, so I stop.

“It is ridiculous. With this word I told you my thoughts about this.”

Ross Barkley.Source: Getty Images

He added: “I think the club tried to do its best in the transfer market.”

“Sometimes you are able to buy players, and sometimes not for many reasons, but I think the club tried to do its best.

“Now the window is closed. I’m very happy to work with these players that we have.”

Asked if he was surprised to be rejected by Barkley and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who moved to Liverpool, Conte said: “Don’t forget one English player signed. If I’m not mistaken, Danny Drinkwater is an English player. We are happy with him.

“Two new players arrived in the transfer market. It’s time to work together, to work with these new players and adapt them quickly.”

HAZARD READY, COSTA LATEST

Eden Hazard played for Belgium last week and Conte was happy to see his star playmaker back in action after initially expressing surprise at his international call-up.

“I think now I can count on him for sure. I have to decide when is the right moment and the right minutes for him but for sure he’s available,”

On Diego Costa, who was linked with a Fenerbahce transfer, Conte said: “There is no news about him.”

“My focus is on English football, not Turkey.”

Diego Costa.Source: Getty Images

PEP SAID ‘NO’ TO SANCHEZ-STERLING SWAP

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola personally made sure Raheem Sterling would not be allowed to join Arsenal in a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez.

“When we started to speak with Arsenal in the last days before it was not impossible, they wanted to make a swap with Raz,” Guardiola told reporters.

“And they talked to me and I said: ‘No chance. Zero chance. Not one percent chance’ to take a swap deal with Alexis because I have a lot of trust in Raz.

“He is 22 years old, an English player and he has a lot of gap (potential) to improve. So the only thing we can do if possible is to try and do a deal with cash.

Manchester City's Raheem Sterling (C) celebrates scoring.Source: AP

“We tried to make an offer that they would accept, but in the end they could not sign the player they wanted and Alexis stayed with Arsenal.”

He added: “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the wintertime or next season,” said Guardiola.

“He’s an Arsenal player. Of course we were interested in him. At the end Arsenal decided not to sell him. So all the best for Alexis. I know him from Barcelona.

“And that’s all. Sometimes the deals work, sometimes not. We will see in the future.”

Alexis Sanchez.Source: AFP

CITY PRICED OUT OF JONNY EVANS

“Jonny Evans was an idea. My colleague Tony Pulis put a price that we couldn’t afford at that moment,” Guardiola said ahead of City’s Premier League showdown with Liverpool on Saturday.

“We bought five players who cost around £35 million each. It’s not a big issue because we sold a lot. We got money to invest again. I’m happy with the squad and we’ll move forward with that.”

He added: “We had a little bit more money to spend, but not that much. Maybe you believe that because we’re Manchester City we could do that, but it was not possible.”

MANGALA IN WITH KOMPANY OUT

City’s inability to land Evans has come back to bite them after captain Vincent Kompany was ruled out of the Liverpool game with a calf injury.

City had hoped to find a buyer for Eliaquim Mangala during the transfer window but the Frenchman stayed put and Guardiola said he could now provide an option at centre-back.

Sanchez and Eliaquim Mangala.Source: Supplied

“If he’s here it’s because he is willing to play,” Guardiola said.

“I know his qualities. He’s a real central defender and we are going to help him a little bit with the weakness in the build-up, to help him improve.

“I spoke with him after the deadline, to say he is part of the group and that he has to win my confidence on the pitch.”

SANCHO’S CITY SNUB

Guardiola also lifted the lid on the departure of highly rated academy product Jadon Sancho, whose concerns about playing time prompted him to join Borussia Dortmund in a reported £8 million deal.

Guardiola said he and Sancho had shaken hands on a “huge” contract, only for the 17-year-old to change his mind -- costing him a place on City’s pre-season tour of the United States -- and then go AWOL from training.

“We tried absolutely everything, but I think it was not the salary. Maybe he thought he would get more minutes at Dortmund and I can understand that,” Guardiola said.

“I don’t know what will happen. We will see because in the end they have to show on the pitch their quality.

“They have to know -- he has to know, the family has to know and especially the managers (Sancho’s advisors) have to know -- we had a lot of confidence in him.”

SPURS THRILLED WITH LLORENTE

“It’s amazing,” Pochettino said. “Hugo Lloris was with the [French] national team and sent a text to me, ‘gaffer, is it true about Llorente?’ I said ‘yes, we signed Llorente’.

He said: ‘Wow, fantastic player.’ “That is the impact that he has on the changing room because all the players respect him.

“Then they start to meet him, how he is, he is very warm, very friendly, it was fantastic. It’s a big impact for our changing room.”

Fernando Llorente.Source: AFP

LEICESTER SCRAMBLE TO UNLOCK ‘14 SECONDS’ SILVA SHAMBLES

Portugal midfielder Adrien Silva has been unable to train and remains in limbo as Leicester City bid to sort out his future after the club reportedly missed the deadline to register their new signing by a mere 14 seconds.

“No he is not training,” said Leicester boss Shakespeare ahead of Saturday’s home game against current champions Chelsea.

“I’ve spoken to him. I feel for the lad. He is not only so keen to come, but the deal was also agreed between the clubs, it is just the finalisation.

“It is World Cup year for the player and he is in limbo. He is a strong character and I am sure he will be fine.” Leicester are working to overturn FIFA’s decision.

He added: “We are still trying to finalise it, it is still up in the air.”

DE BOER POSITIVE ON HIS PALACE FUTURE

Crystal Palace boss Frank de Boer said on Friday he remained “very positive for the future” despite swirling rumours his job is on the line after a miserable start to the Premier League season.

“I have always had serious conversations with Steve [Parish - Palace chairman], we come together one day in the week and talk about what is going on.

“I am not so concerned about that, I think we have a very good relationship. We know what we want and everybody is of course very disappointed in our results.

“But we know also this is not a one-day project, it is from the long term. Everybody knows that.”

He added: “It always takes time, you mustn’t panic suddenly.”

Frank de Boer.Source: AP

BILIC NOT FEARING FOR FUTURE

“I said to the chairman, we have no points from three matches and we have to start winning,” Slaven Bilic wrote in Evening Standard.

“I have told you so many times I don’t think about my job in that way. I think about my job as a good job and where I have to put all my energy and concentration into working with the lads and talking to the lads.

“I try and keep the lads humble when we are winning, being in the zone when we are not in the zone for whatever reasons. Monday night is a game that I am totally concentrated on.”

West Ham United's Croatian manager Slaven Bilic.Source: AFP

BILIC’S DENIAL

Slaven Bilic has denied West Ham co-owner David Sullivan’s claim that he rejected the chance to sign Renato Sanches and Grzegorz Krychowiak this summer.

When asked about Sullivan’s comments, Bilic said: “He likes to talk. It’s his right, but all I said is that I wanted a player and that is not exactly what happened with those two players that you have mentioned.

“I wanted [William] Carvalho and we were in the middle of talking about Carvalho, it looked very, very likely that the deal would happen.

“To be fair during my time at West Ham, it is very, very common that when you talk about one player and it looks like it’s going to happen, suddenly two or three other names somebody throws them in.

Sporting Lisbon's midfielder William Carvalho (L).Source: AFP

“Normally that distracts you from the main target. That’s what happened there as well. It was very likely that we were going to get that player. The other two players are very good players, of course they are.”

He added: “There has been much said and written since. There is much I could say but I don’t want to, not because I am afraid to have my say but because that is not my style. I haven’t said anything before and I don’t want to start now.”

“My job now isn’t to say what is the truth or who is to blame. My job is to raise the performance from what is a good squad of players which will get even better when everyone is fit.”